It is the idea of this symposium to bring together materials scientists, chemists, biologists, physicists, bioengineers, and clinicians to present their latest discoveries in biological materials and bio-inspired materials and devices and to interact in a multidisciplinary environment. This symposium thus represents the intersection of materials research with biology, medicine, pharmaceuticals, chemistry, and engineering with an eye toward understanding biological systems, as well as mimicking materials processes and designs with applications in biomedical engineering and bionanotechnology. This is a very important forum for the international community to discuss recent research and development activities in the areas of biomaterials, biodetection, and bionanoscience. A special emphasis will be given to innovative approaches to biomedical engineering and the interactions in this symposium are expected to lead to the discussion of new ideas, future opportunities and challenges in this highly multidisciplinary field. [unreadable] [unreadable]